1998 TOYOTA TACOMA four wheel drive

'98 Tacoma (U)
6
Indicator symbols on the instrument panel
Automatic transmission fluid temperature warning
light
*
1
SRS airbag warning light *
1
Unengaged ºParkº warning light *
1
Anti-lock brake system warning light *
1
Seat belt reminder light
*
1
(type A)
(type B)
Low oil pressure warning light *
1
Low fuel level warning light *
1
Brake system warning light
*
1
Discharge warning light *
1
Malfunction indicator lamp *
1
Low windshield washer fluid level warning light *
1
Headlight high beam indicator light
Overdrive-off indicator light
Turn signal indicator lights
Driving
pattern
(POWER
mode)
indicator
light
Automatic
transmission
indicator
lights
Four-wheel drive indicator light

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Part 1
OPERATION OF
INSTRUMENTS AND
CONTROLSÐ
Chapter 1- 6
Ignition switch,
Transmission
and Parking brake
Ignition switch with steering lock
Automatic transmission
Manual transmission
Four- wheel drive system
Rear differential lock system
P ar k ing br ak e
Cruise control
Clutch start cancel switch
Ignition switch with steering lock
ºSTARTºÐStarter motor on. The key
will return to the ºONº position when
released.
For starting tips, see Part 3.
ºONºÐEngine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
ºACCºÐAccessories such as the radio
operate, but the engine is off.
If you leave the key in the ºACCº or
ºLOCKº position and open the driver's
door, a buzzer will remind you to remove
the key.
ºLOCKºÐEngine is off and the steering
wheel is locked. The key can be re-
moved only at this position.
You must push in the key to turn the key
from ºACCº to the ºLOCKº position. On
vehicles with an automatic transmission,
the selector lever must be in the ºPº posi-
tion before pushing the key.
When starting the engine, the key may
seem stuck at the ºLOCKº position. To
free it, first be sure the key is pushed all
the way in, and then rock the steering
wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the ve-
hicle is moving, as this will lock the
steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ºONº
position if the engine is not running.The battery will discharge and the ignition could be damaged.

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Parking, engine starting and
key removal position
Reverse position
Neutral position Normal driving position
Shift while pulling the
selector lever toward you Position for stronger engine
braking than that in 2º
position
Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three- speed
or four- speed transmissionOFFº position
(Shifting into overdrive
not possible)
ONº position
(Shifting into
overdrive possible) O/D OFFº indicator light
Shows the overdrive
switch is in OFFº
position
Driving pattern selector button
For selecting a driving pattern
suited to existing driving conditions
NORMALº
(Normal) mode
for general driving
conditions POWERº
(Power) mode
for powerful
acceleration
POWER mode indicator light
on the instrument panel shows
the driving pattern selector
button is the POWERº mode.
Position for engine braking
Shift normally
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while pulling the selector lever
toward you. (The ignition switch must
be in ONº position.)
Vehicles with cruise control±When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise cont rol is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see
ºCruise controlº in this chapter. Automatic transmission
(electronically controlled typeÐtwo- wheel drive models except
Pre Runner)

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Parking, engine starting and
key removal position
Reverse position Neutral position
Normal driving position
Position for engine braking
Position for stronger engine
braking than that in 2º
position
With the brake pedal depressed,
shift while holding the lock release
button in. (The ignition switch must
be in ONº position.)
Shift while holding the lock
release button in Driving pattern selector button
For selecting a driving pattern
suited to existing driving conditions
Overdrive switch
For selecting either a three- speed
or four- speed transmission
OFFº position
(Shifting into overdrive
not possible) ONº position
(Shifting into
overdrive possible)
Lock release button
To prevent misshifting
O/D OFFº indicator light
Shows the overdrive
switch is in OFF position
NORMALº
(Normal) mode
for general driving
conditions
POWERº
(Power) mode
for powerful
acceleration
POWER mode indicator light
on the instrument panel shows
the driving pattern selector
button is the POWERº mode.
Shift normally
Vehicles with cruise controlÐWhen the cruise control is being used, eve n if you downshift the transmission by turning off the overdrive
switch, engine braking will not be applied because the cruise cont rol is not cancelled. For ways to decrease the vehicle speed, see
ºCruise controlº in this chapter. Automatic transmission
(electronically controlled typeÐfour- wheel drive models and Pre Runner
)

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Your automatic transmission has a shift
lock system to minimize the possibility of
incorrect operation. This means you can
only shift out of ºPº position when the
brake pedal is depressed (with the ignition
switch in ºONº position and the lock re-
lease button depressed).
(a) Normal driving
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the engineº in Part 3. The
transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº.
When the front drive control lever is in
ºL4º (low-speed position, four-wheel drive),
the driving pattern selector setting has no
effect on gear shift timing. (See ºFour-
wheel drive systemº in this Chapter for
information of the front drive control le-
ver.) 2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the selector lever to ºDº.
In ºDº position, the automatic transmission
system will select the most suitable gear
for running conditions such as normal
cruising, hill climbing, hard towing, etc. Always turn the overdrive switch on for
better fuel economy and quieter driving. If
the engine coolant temperature is low or
when the front drive control lever is in
ºL4º (low-speed position, four-wheel drive),
the transmission will not shift into the ov-
erdrive gear even with the overdrive
switch on. (See ºFour-wheel drive systemº
in this Chapter for information of the front
drive control lever.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelera-
tor pedal while shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake
pedal. Depress the accelerator pedal
slowly for smooth starting.
(b) Using engine braking
To use engine braking, you can downshift
the transmission as follows: Turn off the overdrive switch. The ºO/D
OFFº indicator light will come on and
the transmission will downshift to the
third gear.
Shift into the º2º position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the second
gear when the vehicle speed drops
down to or lower than the following
speed, and more powerful engine brak-
ing will be obtained.
Front drive control lever
in ºH2º and ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine.....106 km/h (66 mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....114 km/h (71 mph)
Front drive control lever
in ºL4º 3RZ- FE engine.....36 km/h (22 mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....38 km/h (24 mph)
Shift into the ºLº position. The trans-
mission will downshift to the first gear
when the vehicle speed drops down to
or lower than the following speed, and
maximum engine braking will be ap-
plied.
Front drive control lever
in ºH2º and ºH4º
3RZ- FE engine.....51 km/h (32 mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....55 km/h (34 mph)
Front drive control lever
in ºL4º 3RZ- FE engine.....9 km/h (6 mph)
5VZ- FE engine.....10 km/h (6 mph)

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Vehicles with cruise control±When the
cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift the transmission by turning off
the overdrive switch, engine braking will
not be applied because the cruise control
is not cancelled. For ways to decrease
the vehicle speed, see ºCruise controlº in
this chapter.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
(c) Using º2º and ºLº positions
The º2º and ºLº positions are used for
strong engine braking as described pre-
viously.
With the selector lever in º2º or ºLº, you
can start the vehicle in motion as with the
lever in ºDº.
With the selector lever in º2º, the vehicle
will start in the first gear and automatical-
ly shift to the second gear.
With the selector lever in ºLº, the trans-
mission is engaged in the first gear.
NOTICE
Be careful not to overrev the en-
gine. Watch the tachometer to keepengine rpm from going into the redzone. The approximate maximum al-
lowable speed for each position isgiven below for your reference:
Four-wheel drive models Front drive control lever in ºH2º orºH4ºÐ
3RZ- FE engine º2º 109 km/h (68 mph) . . . .
ºLº 60 km/h (37 mph) . . . .
5VZ- FE engine º2º 120 km/h (75 mph) . . . .
ºLº 66 km/h (41 mph) . . . .
Front drive control lever in ºL4ºÐ
3RZ- FE engine º2º 43 km/h (27 mph) . . . . . .
ºLº 22 km/h (14 mph) . . . . . .
5VZ- FE engine º2º 46 km/h (29 mph) . . . . . .
ºLº 25 km/h (16 mph) . . . . . .
Pre Runner
3RZ- FE engine º2º 114 km/h (71 mph) . . . . . .
ºLº 63 km/h (39 mph) . . . . . .
5VZ- FE engine º2º 120 km/h (75 mph) . . . . . .
ºLº 66 km/h (41 mph) . . . . . .
Do not continue hill climbing for a
long time in the º2º or ºLº posi-
tion. This may cause severe auto-matic transmission damage from overheating. To prevent such dam-
age, use ºDº position for hill climb-ing or hard towing.
(d) Backing up
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the selector lever to the
ºRº position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the ve-
hicle is moving.

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3RZ- FE engine
Upshifting gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 24 (15)
2 to 3 40 (25)/58 (36) *
3 to 4 64 (40)/72 (45) *
4 to 5 72 (45)/85 (53) *
Downshifting gear km/h (mph)
2 to 1 24 (15)
3 to 2 40 (25)
4 to 3 64 (40)
5 to 4 72 (45)
* : Applicable under heavy acceleration
conditions.
5VZ- FE engine
gear km/h (mph)
1 to 2 or 2 to 1 24 (15)
2 to 3 or 3 to 2 40 (25)
3 to 4 or 4 to 3 64 (40)
4 to 5 or 5 to 4 72 (45)
Downshift to the appropriate gear if accel-
eration is needed when you are cruising
below the above downshifting speeds. Upshifting too soon or downshifting too
late will cause lugging, and possibly ping-
ing. Regularly revving the engine to maxi-
mum speed in each gear will cause ex-
cessive engine wear and high fuel
consumption.
Maximum allowable speeds
To get on a highway or to pass slower
traffic, maximum acceleration may be nec-
essary. Make sure you observe the follow-
ing maximum allowable speeds in each
gear:
Two-wheel drive models
2RZ- FE engine
gear km/h (mph)1 48 (30)
2 88 (55)
3 136 (85)
4 165 (103)
5VZ- FE engine gear km/h (mph)
1 54 (34)
2 101 (63)
3 144 (89)
4 165 (103) Four-wheel drive models
3RZ- FE engine gear km/h(mph)
ºH2º and ºH4º ºL4º
1 46 (29) 17 (11)
2 86 (53) 33 (21)
3 135 (84) 52 (32)
4 165 (103) 66 (41)
5VZ- FE engine
gear km/h (mph)ºH2º and ºH4º ºL4º
1 48 (30) 18 (11)
2 88 (55) 34 (21)
3 128 (80) 49 (30)
4 165 (103) 72 (45)
NOTICE
Do not downshift if you are going
faster than the maximum allowablespeed for the next lower gear.

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Good driving practice
If it is difficult to shift into reverse, put
the transmission in neutral, release the
clutch pedal momentarily, and then try
again.
When towing a trailer, in order to main-
tain engine braking efficiency, do not
use the fifth gear.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a
slippery surface. Abrupt shifting
could cause the vehicle to spin or
skid.
NOTICE
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before shifting into reverse.
Use the front drive control lever to se-
lect the following transfer modes.
ºH2º (high speed position, two-wheel
drive): Lever at ºH2º
Use this for normal driving on dry hard-
surfaced roads. This position gives greater
economy, quietest ride and least wear.
ºH4º (high speed position, four-wheel
drive): Lever at ºH4º
Use this for normal driving on wet, icy or
snow-covered roads. This position pro-
vides greater traction than two-wheel
drive. ºNº (neutral position):
Lever at ºNº
No power is delivered to the wheels. The
vehicle must be stopped.
ºL4º (low speed position, four-wheel
drive): Lever at ºL4º
Use this for maximum power and traction.
Use ºL4º for climbing or descending steep
hills, off-road driving, and hard pulling in
sand, mud or deep snow.
The four-wheel drive indicator light comes
on when the ºH4º, ºNº or ºL4º mode is
selected.
See º(d) Shifting procedure (lever type)º
for further instructions.
Four-wheel drive systemÐ
(a) Front drive control
(lever type)